Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-08-28

WVV8n8 Win VA44s40 WAy44s
"were Ill your wooen polyga-
mists 2"
Eyes, every ono Of them"
"How many had You?
"Oh. dozens and dozens / didn't
keep count, but after was here year
or 20 they SAW IL was no use, and 80 lot
me alone. Then there was the Ed
munds law to correct and hold them in
place. Nine has been the experience
OF every young girl who came to Utah
previous 10 1886. And were many OF
them taken in? Why, bless you, yes |;
there are some old, hoary-hesded ras-
Gals dragging their feet along the
streets of Salt Lake to-day that have
the prettiest young wives You ever
clapped eyes upon.
"Are you keeping company with a
Norman young man 2"
ooh, dear, no. My fellow is a Gen.
tile. have bad him two years. When
he came to our house the first night
mother asked him il he ives Mormon,
and he said no. Then she told him
there was no use .oming after her
daughter unless he intended to Join the
Mormon Church. He hasn't been to
the house since, but We love each other
and we're going to be married, whether
the old folks like it or not. The young
Mormops haven't got anything and
they don't look as if they ever would
have anything, so what's the use Of O
young girl marrying thcm?"
Now it was the other girls chance.
She wanted to talk at the same time
with her friend, but couldn't listen to
two eigh'y-word-a-minuters rafting
away together. So made an arrange
ment with No. 2 TO remain quiet until
No. l got through, when No. 2 could
have tie field to herself.
81 was here before Nellie" said the
young lady, "and Invent through SINH
lar experience, but the men were
holder and more persistent in my day.
They made my life miserable and an
noyed my parents. who are good Nor
mons, living in monogamy, until l
thought one day my father was going
to kick ninety-year- old bishop out
oar front ya.d. If l am not married
people can't say it's because I've not
been asked. / guess I've been asked a
hundred times, like Nellie there, and
most OF the men who asked me had lots
of age and plenty OF wives. But there
is one of them l must tell you about.
He's dead now, but he was among the
wealthiest men in the Church, and
A PROMINENT ELDER.
ellis name was Franklin Neff. One
day his wife-the only wife he had
came to our house and had talk with
me. She said she wanted me to marry
MIR. Neff. L was only fifteen, but L
knew what polygamy was, and | had
set my heart against it. well, Mrs.
Neff,' | said, 'if he wants me he'll
have TO summon up cheek enough to
ask me himEelf.' / said this in fun,
and then l asked Mrs. Neif what she
thought about it. She said herself and
husband had talked the whole matter
over, and she had come to the con-
clusion that as her husband was obliged
70 take second wife she knew no.
body she'd 500 ler have him take
than myself; therefore she begged
ne when he called to give him
favorable answer. This PROPOSE
ton, coming from a woman thirty-fve
years old, who had been married for
Years TO husband of about the same
age, and who had assisted him in accu-
mulating his wealth, was at once
strange and amusing. MIR. Nef called
that same night, and, in answer TO his
question, l told him that he must be
crazy to make such an offer of marriage
to q mere child, but he insisted that he
was in earnest, and he went to my
mother, who, on account of his high
position in the Church, was afraid to
fatty refuse him. Mother said she
would not go against my wishes,
but if LIE could persuade me into
polygamy she would offer no objec-
ton at the same time she warned me
not to give my consent for any con-
sideration. Mrs. Nef' came around to
see me several times, and was always
urging me to- marry her husband, say
ing that he could not live without me,
and both of them would be all the hap
pier for it. But the more she talked
the firmer / became in my resistance.
They invited ne to spend few days at
their country bcme. | wanted to re-
fuse, but mother. said l had better go.
/ went, and l don't think | spent
more miserable time anywhere
in all my life. The husband
was continually asking me to go
buggy riding with him and the wife
was coaxing me to consent. Still. |
thought saw that the woman was I'M
happy. She seemed to be doing what
she did against her will. A ball was
given in the neighborhood and l
wanted to go. Mrs. Neff asked me to
go with Frank-that was her husbands
name-but said no, would go alone
unless she agreed to go along. She
agreed, and we went. That man tried
his very hardest that night to dance with
me, and his wife even asked me to
dance with him, but / kept plenty OF
engagements ahead with the young
fellows and he got no dance.
NO. OUT OF TUE WAY.
"Some one then told him that | would
rot dance with him while Mrs. Neff
was present so he told her and she
went home. After she went he came
to me and said she had gone, and he
hoped now he would have the pleasure
of dance, but l continued to make
excuses and avoided him. The time
came to 90 home, and l refused to al
low him to accompany me unless there
was third party along. His brother
Amos accompanied us, and after leav-
ing me at the door the two men VENT to
Amos Neff's house. l found Mrs. Nef
in her room in tears-a more heart
broken woman L never saw.
She had been sitting there
fretting and crying and moan
ing for hours, thinking that l was
dancing with her husband and that
was coming home alone with him. And
only the night before she had sat up
with me until 12 o'clock trying to talk
me into marrying him, making all sorts
Of promises, and saying that herself
and Mr.. Neff would write out deeds for
one half of all the property and pos
sessions they had If would only give
my CONSENT She begged me not to
c.xr opvfb;po N bar bushand abo,,t Tho